META Company Overview
Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook, Inc., is focused on building products that enable people to connect and share through mobile devices, personal computers virtual reality headsets, and in-home devices. Its segments include Family of Apps (FoA) and Facebook Reality Labs (FRL). FoA segment includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and other services. FRL segment includes augmented and virtual reality related consumer hardware, software and content. Facebook enables people to connect, share and communicate with each other on mobile devices and personal computers. Instagram helps people to express themselves through photos, videos, and private messaging, and connect with and shop from businesses and creators. Messenger is a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, groups, and businesses across platforms and devices. WhatsApp is a messaging application that is used by people around the world to communicate and transact.
Company Contact
Headquarters
1601 Willow Rd
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1452.
Invested 5/3/2017
@ 152.00
Quarterly Dividend
$0.50
Yield
0.36%
Ex-Dividend Date
6/14/2024
Dividend Payable Date
6/26/2024
All dividends re-invested.
*Dividend Paid 3/26/2024
*Dividend Paid 6/26/2024
*Dividend Paid 9/26/2024
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***13th Highest % gainer
across all portfolios UP +287.79%^
MW Metas huge stock surge can power on as every headwind is now a tailwind, analysts say
6:21 AM ET 4/27/23 | MarketWatch
By Emily Bary
Meta is making progress on Reels and already proving out the benefits of AI in its business
For nearly six months, Meta Platforms Inc.'s story has been all about cost cuts, and that's helped drive its shares up 74% so far this year.
But as Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik wrote Thursday, "if you want to be treated and valued like a growth stock, well, you need growth!"
Meta's (META) first-quarter earnings report showed that the company is now making progress on that part of the narrative as well, and its stock is soaring 11% in premarket action Thursday after the latest results.
Following three quarters of year-over-year revenue declines, Meta delivered top-line growth in the first quarter, and it suggested revenue growth could accelerate in the current period. While the company spent years battling Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) privacy-related changes around tracking and the "identifier for advertisers" (IDFA), Meta could now be in a structurally stronger position.
"Meta's moat around display advertising may have deepened post Apple's IDFA changes," Shmulik wrote, as the company has been "building and integrating technical workarounds, launching Advantage+, and [seeing] strong traction behind Reels and Click-to-Message ads." Those initiatives paid off for Meta as it turned revenue trends around.
Shmulik reiterated an outperform rating on Meta shares and upped his price target to $275 from $250, while quipping that Meta represented "suddenly the adults in the room at a good price."
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The results validated Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney's belief that Meta's stock is still worthy of its top-pick status despite its huge run-up this year.
He listed several reasons why that's the case, including that the company "is in the midst of three material product cycles," such as its "materially improved ad campaign performance," its improvement in Reels monetization with 40% year-over-year growth on core Facebook in the latest quarter, and opportunities in click-to-message advertising. That's "a marketing format that is unique to META and showing strong traction."
Further, Meta's "aggressive cost actions" have led to a "slingshot opportunity" on profits, with Mahaney estimating 36% growth in earnings per share for 2024.
While Meta shares have soared 74.0% year to date through Wednesday, the S&P 500 index has gained 5.6% and the Nasdaq Composite Index has advanced 13.3%.
While companies across the spectrum are hyping up their artificial-intelligence initiatives, Meta's seem already to be yielding tangible results. The "killer datapoint" is that "AI recommendations on Reels have driven a more than 24% increase in time spent on Instagram," Mahaney said, as he raised his price target on the stock to $350 from $305 while keeping an outperform rating.
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The results showed Barclays analyst Ross Sandler more evidence of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's prowess as Meta proves progress on the Reels format and on other issues that once dogged it.
"During times of war (i.e., a major platform transition in the internet space) you need strong leadership, and Zuckerberg has demonstrated many times that he thrives in these moments," Sandler wrote. "This is finally coming through in the financial performance and overall execution at META, and we think shares have plenty of room to run."
He added that "every headwind, from IDFA, macro, and Tik Tok-Reels, has turned into a tailwind in 2023."
"META is now growing faster than GOOGL [Alphabet] for the first time in two years, while cutting headcount meaningfully more," Sandler continued. "Finally, the GenAI [generative AI] product pipeline ahead might help META more than any other large-cap internet company from an engagement and revenue perspective."
Sandler has an overweight rating on shares of Meta and boosted his target price to $320 from $270.
Of the 55 analysts tracked by FactSet who cover Meta's stock, 39 have buy ratings, 11 have hold ratings, and five have sell ratings, with an average price target of $250.72.